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Candide
Narrated by Andrew Sachs
Written by Voltaire
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Candide has enjoyed both great success and great scandal.

Candide, by Voltaire, published in 1759, was banned by the Catholic Church because the book, a satire, poked fun at numerous religious and political figures. Throughout Candide Voltaire mocks the aristocracy's belief in “natural” superiority by birth. The baron's sister, for instance, has refused to marry Candide's father because he only had seventy-one quarterings (noble lineages) in his coat of arms, while her own coat of arms had seventy-two.

Candide, written in 1759, is arguably taught more than any other work of French literature.

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ADVISORY: This story was published 263 years ago. It is a product of its time and place and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today. Teachers might wish to discuss how views on 'race', religion, and ethnicity have changed.
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